Splattering of grease and other liquids during any cooking process is undesirable from two standpoints. First, splattering of grease and cooking liquids onto cook-tops, counters and the interior surfaces of microwave ovens and standard ovens necessitates extraneous cleaning during and after the cooking process. Second, splattering can present safety concerns, as hot grease and liquids have been known to cause serious burns to the cook's hands, arms and face while the food is being prepared. It can also create fire hazards, particularly in stovetop and oven cooking. In some types of cooking, such as boiling or steaming, solid, impermeable covers may be used. Other types of cooking, however, such as thickening or reductions, require that steam can escape. And still other cooking methods, such as frying, searing and sautéing, require high cooking temperatures, preferentially only at the cooking surface, and this can not be readily effected without the removal of steam and moisture from the cooking vessel.
Some of the devices currently available to control splattering include: metal covers or mesh covers which are placed over the vessel or food item being prepared via stovetop cooking; plastic covers and absorbent papers which are placed over or around foods being prepared in the microwave; aluminum foil and parchment paper placed over casseroles and roasting pans in ovens. None of these devices, however, combine all the attributes of being disposable, universally adaptable to all of the major cooking environments and capable of maintaining a cooking environment suitable for all cooking types.
For example, splatter guards currently available for stovetop use, although capable of preventing splatter of cooking liquids and being generally heat and flame-resistant, have several disadvantages. First, they are generally made of materials of medium to high heat capacity and conductivity, rendering them potential burn hazards during cooking. Many are designed to fit only a specific size and shape of a given pot or pan and shape, limiting the scope of their versatility. Many are also not useable in oven or microwave cooking applications. Finally, they are relatively expensive, non-disposable and can be difficult to clean. By way of examples, U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,281, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,992,675, D302,637, D494,427 and D567,597 all teach the use of splatter guards which utilize wire mesh to prevent splatter while still allowing steam and other cooking vapors to escape, rendering an environment suitable for frying, searing and sautéing. However, being made of metal, they cannot be used in the microwave, their configuration is not suitable for oven use, and they are not disposable. Furthermore, their mesh design makes them difficult to clean. US20110127282 teaches the use of a disposable foil with expandable slits or flaps to the same effect. This design, although it does confer disposability, is also unsuited for use in the microwave and does not offer a safe handle for manipulation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,441 teaches a disposable metal foil guard without a handle that unfolds in a concertina manner to cover the cooking vessel. It is also unsuitable for microwave use and, being made of a highly conductive material, would not be able to be repositioned comfortably. U.S. Pat. No. 2,999,559 teaches the use of a disposable disc made out of fibrous material in conjunction with a metal ring, which rests on the periphery of the cooking vessel. Although the top disc is disposable, the metal ring, being metal, renders the entire device unsuitable for microwave use and still requires cleaning. U.S. Pat. No. 2,686,608 teaches the use of a cylindrical guard made out of disposable paper that sits inside a frying or other vessel and includes vents to encourage air circulation. Although not explicitly stated in the reference, this would be appropriate for microwave use, as well. However, the configuration of this device is such that it is open at the top and does not entirely prevent the splatter of grease and liquids. Also, this configuration lacks a handle for easy positioning and makes turning or other manipulations of food in the cooking vessel difficult.
The covering devices available for microwave cooking are generally made of plastic, cannot be cleaned easily, especially of grease, and cannot be used for stovetop or oven cooking. Other common materials used for covering vessels in the microwave include paper towels and napkins, standard parchment paper, or plastic wrap. Although disposable, these materials are flimsy and tend to get into the food being prepared. They become saturated or heavily coated with the cooking liquids and greases and become messy and misshapen, rendering repositioning difficult or impossible. Furthermore, these materials do not have handles for easy removal and can cause burns if removed by hand. Several disposable covers have been developed for microwave heating, but these are generally complex in design, made of absorbent materials and cannot be used for other cooking methods, such as stovetop or oven cooking. Some of these designs are also specific to shielding food from microwaves. Still others are configured such that they do not fully protect the interior of the microwave oven from splatters. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,414,229, U.S. Pat. No. 7,586,068 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,285 all teach splatter guards made out of breathable paper that sit around a vessel while being heated in a microwave oven. Although the configurations and materials of these utensils render them disposable and capable of keeping the top and side surfaces of the inside of the microwave secure from splatter, the bottom of both devices are substantially open, potentially allowing grease and liquids to run down the sides and accumulate at the bottom. Also, none of these references teach the use of heat and flame resistant paper, making them unsuited for stovetop and oven use and do not include top handles for ease of placement and positioning.
Coverings for use in the oven are also generally made of metal, glass or ceramic; are heavy; and, similar to covers used for stovetop cooking, can be expensive, cumbersome and non-disposable. Moreover, they are not permeable to moisture. Foil and parchment are sometimes used to cover certain foods during the oven cooking process. Although these materials are disposable, they are also flimsy, having no means of easy removal and replacement without risk of burns. Foil, also, is a non-permeable material. Clearly there is a need for a splatter guard that combines the convenience of being disposable, is non-absorbent yet permeable enough to offer preferred cooking conditions and is versatile enough to used with all common cooking methods and vessels.